The Legend of Link
by katiryn1
Summary: A twist of fate causes Link to be thrown down to The Surface instead of Zelda. Zelda, training in secret as the knight Adlez, must aid Link and, perhaps, even tell him the secret that she has kept from him for many years.
1. Prologue

I woke up silently screaming, sweat dripping down my face. A terrifying, large beast had swallowed Link whole with its sword sharp teeth. I breathed in and out, trying to calm my racing heart. This nightmare had reoccurred every night for the past week and I couldn't contain my fear of it. Sooner or later, I needed to tell Link. At the thought of Link, I slightly smiled. Today was the day of the Wing Ceremony and I knew I would have the honor of giving Link the Sailcloth. I stumbled out of bed, putting my tunic and belt on. Today was a day that Link would shine, I just knew it. They didn't call me Zelda, Headmaster's Daughter for nothing.


	2. Confession

I looked proudly at Link as he received the Sailcloth from me after he won the competition that same day.

"You do know what's next, don't you?" I asked him as he carefully put the Sailcloth in his possessions.

He looked at me, his eyes betraying a slight panic and I could see he was thinking, _No, I don't Zelda!_

I drew close to him, my body centimeters away from him. I noticed his panic starting to build and that he started to sweat. I leaned forward, trying to decide if I should do the unspeakable or not. I sighed to myself and decided that it wasn't the right time.

Instead, I spun him around and said, "You have to jump off the cliff!"

He shouted all the way down as I called down to him to use the Sailcloth. I berated myself for not telling him beforehand. I closed my eyes for a moment and only opened them when I heard Link holler at me. I flew down on my Loftwing, Thré, and scrambled off her to see if Link was alright. He seemed to be smiling and I thought he was going to laugh. The stunt I had pulled on him brought merriment to his eyes. It had been payback for a stunt he had done on me, taking the strings off my harp and putting them in places that we visited together.

I grinned at him and stuttered out, "Y-You think maybe you'd like to, you know, go fly around the clouds together?"

Link nodded enthusiastically and I found myself flying high in the sky with him. After a while, I said, "Link? I have something I need to tell you."

He looked at me quietly and suggested that we land on the small island ahead. I landed and hopped off Thré, trying to form the next words that would precede from my mouth. Link waited patiently as I stared at him. I took a deep breath and said, "You know the new boy, Adlez, who was recruited into the Knight Academy six months ago? Well, that's me."

I cringed as I waited for his response, but he only smiled and told me that he thought I had looked familiar. He asked me why I had joined the Knight Academy as a boy, and not as a woman.

"I didn't want the Captain to look at me any differently than the rest of you. The others knights would have gone easy on me in training and wouldn't have taught me what I needed to learn. I had decided to join because I felt vulnerable due to reoccurring nightmares that were too realistic to not be real."

I paused for a moment, hesitant as to what I should say next, "I have something else I need to tell you…"

He asked me what it was but I never got the chance to answer. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, a sudden darkness descended upon us. I looked up and saw a tornado bearing down on us. I couldn't see as dirt and grass flew into my eyes.

"Link!" I choked out, slitting my eyes. I saw a look of panic on his face as he was swept in the tornado and fell toward the cloud barrier. I straddled Thré and tried to dive down to him but the tornado knocked Thré off balance and I tumbled off her. I whistled for her to catch me and just as I landed in my saddle, I saw Link disappear below to The Surface. I steered Thré to the island we had been on, slid off her, and looked below me. I turned numb and my heart pounded in my chest, _What is to come?_


	3. Daughter of Skyward

Tears welled to my eyes. Link was gone. I stood at the edge of the cliff, my hair blowing in the now soft breeze. What was I to do? I hadn't finished what I had to say to him and now I would not ever have the chance. My hands balled into fists and I clenched them tight. No one would harm him or take him away from me, I would see to that. I knew what I had to do whether I liked it or not.

Adlez was now my only hope.

I took a leap off the little island and whistled for my Loftwing to catch me.

"Come on, girl. We'll be Adlez and Thré. We must bring Link back," I said to her. Faster Thré went as we neared Skyloft. How in the world would I get past my father right after the wing ceremony, I did not know. If I ran into anyone, I would be losing precious seconds in finding Link.

I quickly snuck passed anyone in sight and ran to my room. I locked the door behind me as I searched with my eyes for the old familiar box underneath my bed. I swiftly plopped it on my bed and opened it. The outfit and weapons for knights were inside. I took off my clothes and put the light white shirt on and then the chainmail that had felt too heavy the first few times over my head. It dropped neatly around my frame and fit snuggly. The green tunic was next followed by my belt, long sword, and boots. I looked at myself in the mirror, my hair fell to my waist. It had grown beautiful and was soft to the touch. I caressed it and sighed. Either I had to cut it off or hide it in a hat that might not stay on. I touched the hilt of my sword, unsure of what to do. Finally, I decided to pick up my hair and put it in a tight bun. My hair secure, I put the green knight cap on. I looked at myself in the mirror once more and thinly smiled.

I walked out of my room and closed it silently. My hand was still on the doorknob when I heard a jeering voice say, "Say now, what's a little pipsqueak like you doing outside my Zelda's room?"

I cringed inside. Of course I would run into Groose of all people on Skyloft. I turned to face him, shoulder's squared, jaw slightly lifted. If he wanted a fight, he would have one. I was in no mood to deal with his bullying. I always had thought he was a little mean but when I saw, in training, how he goaded over me to Link and bullied him, I started to hate him.

"I was letting her know that her father wanted to see her about something," I lied.

"Oh really? I don't care why you came. If you even touch her or so much as think about her, you're going to have to deal with me! You hear, you little pipsqueak?"

He didn't scare me. I knew he didn't even scare Link because Link knew he had more strength than Groose.

"You dare threaten me, Groose?" I snarled, ready to rip off his head in order to escape.

He slightly stumbled back at my words and looked bewildered. No one had stood up to him, except Zelda herself. He had always interpreted it as a sign of love but not today.

"Y-yes," he stammered at first but then became himself again. "You better or else I'll hurt your Loftwing, understood?"

He flicked his gross hair.

_Groose the Gross. How appropriate,_ I thought to myself and tried to contain my desperation.

"If you dare touch my Loftwing, your head will be severed from your body, you coward!" I bellowed, not being able to contain my anger.

Quicker than Groose could realize, I unsheathed my sword and pointed it directly at his throat.

"If you even dare to touch my Loftwing, I will kill you. If you ever dare to call Zelda yours when she is not, I will chop off your fingers one by one. Now, do you understand?" I said with such rage that Groose's mouth dropped open. He stepped back slowly, clearly getting the message. He only nodded, turned, and ran for his life.

I did not stop and bother to think about what had just happened as I ran out the door to my left. I did not have time to. Link was depending on me. I knew I was the only one who could go through the barrier. Somehow, I just knew.

It had grown dark outside. I could still see well but the darkness consumed everything. Suddenly, I saw a blue and purple flash to my right. I almost jumped out of my skin but to my right was a rather odd creature. It had wings and was floating in the air. I was drawn to it and walked closer to it. It moved away and eventually I was running after it. I climbed vines, cliffs, and hills before it stopped. Exhausted to the point of wanting to sleep, I watched it finally descend to the ground.

"Daughter of Skyward, you are chosen by the goddess to save this land. Your friend has landed safely at The Surface but his time is running out. You must go to his aid. The goddess has left you several gifts in different places to help you," it said in a metallic voice. "I am Fi and I am your servant, oh Chosen One."

I now saw that we were at the goddess statue that I had held the wing ceremony at earlier. With a rumbling, the ground shook and a door opened on the statue. I looked at it, mesmerized and startled. I had grown up here and had never known of such a secret door. I stepped forward, unsure if I should go in. Fi gently pushed me forward and with set shoulders, I marched in.

My eyes adjusted to the light inside and there before me was the Goddess Sword upon an altar. I gasped at the sight of it, almost forgetting why I was here. I never thought the legend had been true. But here, here was the legend come to life. I took the hilt of the sword and lifted it from its mantle. Light pierced the sword as I held it skyward and opened a part of the Cloud Barrier.

I grinned and said to Fi, "Let's go hunt some dark, dark creatures."


	4. The Journey Begins

I flew on Thré to the path that had opened and leaned forward, looking down at The Surface. I gaped as I saw green, lush ground below. I shook my head to clear my shock away and had Thré dive down to The Surface. Without the Sailcloth, I couldn't jump to the ground without injuring myself. I wondered if Link had used the Sailcloth as he fell. I hoped he had and shivered at the image of his broken body and snapped neck. I concentrated on riding Thré as we burst through the Cloud Barrier at full speed.

Just as I was about to shout to Thré to pull up, she had already started to. We glided down to the ground and I hoped off her and patted her side affectionately.

Fi appeared out of her place from the Goddess Sword and said, "Zelda, or if you prefer, Adlez, we have landed in the Sealed Grounds. We must go to the Sealed Temple, for that is where Link would have gone for sanctuary."

I nodded at her and grimly said to Thré, "Come. We have much catching up to do."

With that, we headed to the Sealed Temple on foot. I feared what monsters the land contained and did not want Thré to be injured if we took to the sky.

As I saw the temple come into view, I also saw a group of Bokoblin threatening an odd looking creature. It was brown and round, almost like a boulder. The creature was dazed and said, "Help! Anyone, help!"

I unsheathed my sword and grabbed my shield. I shouted a war cry as I charged the Bokoblin. I made contact with the flesh of one of them and it squealed in rage. I swung again and it toppled to the ground, dead at my feet. The other Bokoblin stared at me for a moment and then charged me. I raised my shield as the Bokoblin swung its crude blade. The blade rang against my shield and I felt the force go into my arm and shoulder. With hardly any effort compared to my first day of training, I swung my sword with my shield raised. My opponent fell to the ground with a slash right through its vile heart. I watched the rest of the Bokoblin run away, terrified at the sight of my sword.

I almost felt like that had been too easy. Something wasn't right, I knew it. I shrugged it off as I helped the odd looking boulder-creature to its feet. It started to shake my hand fiercely and didn't let go as it said, "Thank you, to the goddesses of old, thank you!"

He finally let go of my hand as he asked, "I saw another creature like you walking to the Sealed Temple. Odd, how you creatures suddenly appeared. Don't suppose any more are going to come? Oh well, what matters most is figuring out what these statues mean."

I looked over in the direction he was gesturing and saw a stone carved statue standing near the base of a cliff. I cautiously went over to it and Fi suddenly jumped out to explain that it could take me back to Skyloft if I needed to. I shrugged, my mission was to help Link, not return to Skyloft.

As I continued on my way to the Sealed Temple, I heard the short honks of Thré calling me to her attention. I looked at her, knowing that when she spoke that it was of utmost importance.

_I will stay with this boulder-creature_, I heard her say with her honk noises.

I argued with her, "But I need you. I cannot fly myself and your insight is something I cannot live without."

She calmly looked at me with her ever patient gaze and replied with more honking, _I will find out all I can about this place from the boulder-creature. He obviously doesn't know how to fend off unsavory creatures. What else is going to come along and try to harm him? And why isn't he with others like him, assuming there are more of them? I must find out about this place._

Reluctantly, I agreed and stroked her neck in fondness as I said, "Don't get into any trouble without me, my most trusted friend."

She nuzzled her bill against my cheek and promised she would do her best not to. With that, she left me in order to find out more of this odd world called The Surface.


	5. Battles and Sass

Here I was, inside the Sealed Temple at last. I hadn't known what to expect and to my surprise, seeing an old woman wasn't that astounding to me.

"Come here, Zelda," she said with a kindly voice. She must have been able to see my confusion on my face because she said, "Even in male clothing, I can still feel your spirit."

"Has Link passed through here?" I asked worriedly.

"The Hero has passed this way, though it seems you are safe," mused the old woman. "Something must have happened in the Silent Realm."

"What do you mean?"

"It was you who should have fallen to The Surface. Link should have followed you and been the Hero that the goddess has chosen. However, something must have happened in the Silent Realm long ago, so the goddess switched your rolls. I do not entirely have insight on this but I told Link that he should go to Skyview Temple and wait for you there."

"Thank you," I said to her and bowed.

I walked briskly to the door that the old woman had said would take me to Faron Woods. I exited the Sealed Temple and found myself in a lush forest. As I walked deeper into Faron Woods, I noticed many evil creatures lurking about. I didn't want to fight every creature I came past, so I decided to sneak around as many as I could. I didn't run into any problems until I was in sight of Skyview Temple. A large red creature appeared out of nowhere and I stepped back in surprise. It was a wooden shield Moblin and loomed over me by at least five feet. To say I felt miniscule was an understatement.

It didn't wait for me to stance myself correctly and tried to barrel me down. I quickly sidestepped and it charged passed me harmlessly. It turned toward me again but this time I was ready. With the Goddess Sword, I hacked at its dingy wooden shield. It splintered and fell to the ground in pieces. It grew angry and tried to stab me with its spear. I stepped back and before it could try to stab me again, I sliced at its belly a few times. Its health depleted from it and it collapsed at my feet. I stepped over it and set my gaze on the door of Skyview Temple.

I reached the door and noticed red crystals on top of the doorway. I unsheathed my sword, held it up to the sky, and released the energy within it at the crystals. At first, I thought it didn't do anything, but ever so slowly, the door began to open. I looked inside and all I saw was blackness. I took a deep breath and entered.

As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I noticed light ahead. I entered another corridor and the walls were lit with torches. As I looked down the corridor, I noticed a few Chuchu's and Keese roaming around. They weren't frightening enemies but they were an annoyance. I hadn't sheathed my sword yet and I decided wielding it would be the best thing I could do. I didn't know if something would come out from the darkness unexpectedly.

I cut my way through the corridor and entered a large room. In the middle was a large dome-shaped structure. There was a door and I tried to open it but found it was tightly locked.

_So much for an easy access door,_ I thought with exasperation. As I thought this, I heard a jingling sound from across the room. I turned and beheld a Skulltula, a giant spider, hanging by a thread way up high. I approached it and its beady eyes looked at me as it came quickly down to try and grab me. I moved to where it could not reach me and moved to its exposed underbelly. With a grunt, I jumped and stabbed it hard. It squealed and fell to the ground, underbelly facing up. Without hesitating, I walked over and jammed my sword downwards. It lay still and its legs shriveled as its life depleted from it. Seeing that it was dead, I picked up the keys it had.

I ran over to the locked door. I tried a few keys and on my third try, I heard the door's lock click open. I shoved open the door and as I stepped inside, the door shut behind me.

_I suppose heroes don't get rest, do they? Apparently, Heroines don't either,_ I thought to myself, trying to ease my nerves and aching arm.

Two Stalfos, undead skeletons, were guarding a chest. I wondered what was in it but decided the Stalfos needed to be dealt with first. They looked at me with hallow eyes and took their weapons in hand. As I closed the distance between us, they both swung their massive sword at me. I raised my arm and their swords clanged hard against my shield. Stunned by the jolt it created, the Stalfos were vulnerable. I swung my sword at both their midsections and they toppled the ground. Their head snapped their teeth at me and jumped to bite me. I slashed downwards at them until they lay still. Having made sure that they would not reform, I walked to the chest and opened it.

Inside was an emerald and gold Beetle. Fi appeared and informed me that this item could help me with hitting faraway objects and scouting ahead. I hoped that whatever was ahead wouldn't be as hard as fighting the Stalfos. Little did I realize at the time that the Stalfos would be the easiest boss I would come across.

I headed out of the room and spotted an odd looking window high above a locked door. I decided that it would be a good time to use the Beetle. I launched it and directed it inside the window. As it went further in, I saw red crystals like I had on top of the Temple's door. I aimed the Beetle at it and as it collided, I heard the door unlock. The Beetle secure, I lifted the door and walked through it. I noticed that there was water on the ground and that above me was another floor. I sought the source of the water and turned it on. I sheathed my sword and swam up to the second floor. There before me was a heavily secured golden door. I stared at it for a moment and I thought I felt Link on the other side. I touched the door gently in wistfulness. If only finding the key would be a simple task!

Looking around, I didn't see any place to find one. For a moment, I stared unseeingly out at the place before me. My eyes then latched onto vines growing on the wall. They seemed too thick to have grown naturally. I grabbed the vines with both my hands and put all my weight on them, testing their strength. The vines held and with one hand in front of the other, I began to climb. My arms burning and beginning to grow weak, I finally reached a top ledge and pulled myself onto it. Gasping for breath, I lay there for a second. My hand rested on the hilt of my sword just in case something passed by me. Rested, I stood up and found myself in a small room. Three eyes watched my every move as I crossed over to them. They closed their eyes as I drew closer and looked into the barred area of the room. There was a large chest and I wondered where the creature was that guarded it. Just as I wondered that, I heard a large thud behind me. I turned and to my horror, there was a Staldra, a three headed monster. It lunged at me and I tried raising my shield but I wasn't fast enough. One of its razor sharp teeth grazed my shoulder. I cried out in pain and stumbled backward. As it came in for another lunge, I ignored the pain in my shoulder and slashed at all three of its heads at once. Without a sound, their heads rolled off and it collapsed in a heap, its evil heart no longer beating.

I looked at my wound and pressed my hand against it to make it stop bleeding. Reaching into the bag I carried, I brought out a bandage and wrapped it around my shoulder and in between my arm. Having taken care of my wound and trying not to grumble about it, I looked at the eyes once again.

_Maybe if I confuse the eyes all at once, they'll stop guarding the barred area,_ I suggested to myself.

With a shrug, and wincing afterwards from the pain the shrug brought from my wound, I pointed my sword at the eyes. They were entranced by it and all the eyes could not take their eyes off it. I moved my sword in circles. The eyes soon began to grow dizzy and stopped guarding the area. The bars disappeared and I walked through feeling satisfied with myself. I opened the chest and took out the key to the golden door. It looked like an odd shaped cube. I tucked it into my bag and climbed down the vines. Putting the key into the golden door was difficult. It only had one way of fitting in correctly and after a few failed attempts, I put it in correctly.

The door slid open after a moment. I couldn't see what was inside and stepped cautiously into the room. With a loud thud, the door closed behind me. I turned, wide eyed at my only escape route.

_Well, that was the smartest move you've made all day!_ I sarcastically said to myself.

I turned back around and stepped toward the other side of the room, hoping for another door.

"Hold on there!" came a menacing voice.

Bewildered, I looked around for where the voice had come from.

"Here, you mewling hero," said the voice as its speaker stepped into the light in front of me.

I stood my ground but looked in awe at the person in front of me. He had black eyes that had purple shadows underneath them. His white hair was cut short on one side and fanned out on the other. He wore a tight fitting outfit that had diamonds cut out of the fabric, showing his chest and legs. He also wore a gold bracelet on his upper arm.

"I have been watching you, _Hero_," he said, annunciating hero as if it tasted bad in his mouth. He continued on, not bothering to wait for a reply from me, "I quite apologize for not introducing myself. It was rude of me. You see, I've been busy trying to capture an annoying boy named Link. He is quite hard to find."

I interjected with, "You sure do know how to talk a knight's ear off, don't you?"

He clucked his tongue, "My, my, my. Such fire, such spirit. No wonder this goddess of yours picked you."

"And who picked you?" I countered back.

He stiffened, trying to remain aloft and simply said, "_Hero_, if you must know, I was chosen by Demise the Master of Demons."

"Chosen or forced?" I questioned back.

"Enough!" he roared and more calmly said, "It is time I dealt with you. Such a pity I have to destroy you."

"Such a pity I don't even know my murderers name."

"Why, it's Ghirahim. At your service. Well, at the service of destroying you," he smirked and laughed.

"We'll see about that," I said back and unsheathed the Goddess Sword.

Ghirahim chuckled and as I thrust my sword at him, he knocked it easily away with his hand.

"You'll have to try harder than that, _Hero_," he said, toying with me.

"This is why I prefer fighting Stalfos," I said back. "At least they shut up."

He rolled his deep black eyes at me and whipped his hair out of his eyes. He raised his hand again but I attacked from his other side. I grazed his upper arm and purple blood seeped out.

He stumbled backward and snarled at me, "Fine. You want to play rough, I'll play rough."

Out of what seemed thin air, Ghirahim acquired a sword. It glinted in the light from the room. He dashed toward me with his sword out before him. I raised my shield and deflected his blow. It jarred my arm and I winced in pain. I held my ground and he backed off, looking for a weak point. This time I attacked him and he caught my sword with his. On we fought and it felt like we would be in combat until hell froze over. Then Ghirahim did something unexpected, he stopped fighting.

Wary of another trick up his sleeve, I held myself in attack position. He looked at me oddly and suddenly I noticed that my cap was on the floor. My hair was still tightly in a bun but he knew at once that I was female.

"So," he said amused. "A _Heroine_ was sent by your goddess. How interesting."

He circled me and I followed his every move.

"This does change things up a bit," he purred happily.

"Well, I suppose you're not going to kill me now since all of a sudden you turned into a gentleman," I sarcastically remarked.

"A Heroine of sass," he remarked to himself and then directed his thoughts to me, "Though I am outwardly evil, I do hold some form of chivalry. However, I do realize that if I don't kill you, you're going to help that boy Link."

"Well, then why work for Demise? If you want to rule The Surface, you could potentially do that without resurrecting Demise. The creatures here would even like you if you weren't evil. You do have a good sense of humor," I admitted to him, not knowing why I said it.

"A Heroine that tries to talk good into an evil humanoid," he pondered to himself. "I am intrigued."

Ghirahim suddenly looked at the closed door and closed his eyes briefly in annoyance. He looked at me again and said, "Oh how lovely, that boy has escaped my grasp and is no longer here. What am I to do with you, deary?"

"How about not killing me and letting me go?" I said, not believing he would do that.

"That is tempting," he admitted.

"Or even better," I replied, hamming it up. "You come with me and cut off the hold Demise has over you."

"I just may, _Heroine_," he said, this time Heroine coming out of his mouth softly. "I just may."


	6. Evil Stories

Sitting across from Ghirahim cross-legged, I found myself listening to the tale of his life.

"To spare boring you with minor details, I'll just give it to you short and to the point," he said and his black eyes softened as he began, "I wasn't always an evil humanoid, you know. I was once a creature like you. I was good-natured and many trusted me. At one point, I was even a chieftain and was thought wise by many. Then one day, I found a broken sword upon the ground. Being curious and ignoring caution, I picked it up and thought to have it reforged. After it had been reforged, I took it by the handle and held it up toward the sky and looked at it in awe. Little did I know, I had actually reforged the sword of Demise the Demon King. Upon holding it, the power of Demise took hold of me and he bound me to the sword. No longer a free creature, I was at the every whim of his power. I struggled against him but the harder I struggled the more he hurt my village. So I gave up attempting to free myself and did his bidding; he wanted me to free him from imprisonment. To do this, I need Zelda, Princess of Hyrule and a Hero named Link. You both came into my grasp today and when Demise learns that I failed to capture both of you, his anger against me will be eternal."

He stopped talking and looked sadly down at his hands in his lap, his hair fanning downward. A moment later he spoke again, "Evil has brought me only pain and betterment. What can I do against such pure evil?"

I looked at him sadly, reached out my hand to him, and placed it gently on his knee. He froze for a second but then relaxed and placed his hand over mine.

"I want to trust you, Ghirahim," I quietly replied, knowing that saying so could cost me my life down the road. "But I can't yet. Tell me, is there any way to free you?"

"Only one," he darkly said. "Destroy Demise's sword. His sword resides with him in his imprisonment."

"I will free you," I promised him. "But you must swear to me that you will not harm me or Link."

He thought for a moment and finally spoke, "I swear that no harm will come to you or Link by my hand. However, I cannot control what happens when Demise takes control of me. The only reason he hasn't forced me to kill you yet is because he doesn't know what I am doing. You see, having the sword doesn't mean he can see me or know where I am. But when you encounter him, he will use the sword and me to kill you. I cannot promise your safety then but I can swear protection as long as he is blind to my whereabouts."

I looked into his eyes for a moment. He held my gaze and what I saw in them made me trust him just a little. I stood up and dusted myself off. Ghirahim stretched and looked around without really seeing anything and spoke to me, "Now then, where can we find this Link of yours?"

"I can answer that," came Fi's metallic voice as she appeared from the sword and hovered between Ghirahim and I. "He has gone to the Earth Temple."

Fi looked hard at Ghirahim then and warned, "If you dare trick any of us, especially my Master, you will find yourself wishing you were dead."

I looked surprised at her, my mouth dropping open. Those were the first nonstatistical and nonfactual words I had ever heard her speak. Fi did not notice as she turned to me and cited the statistic of Ghirahim betraying me. I waved her away and she went back into the sword.

Ghirahim looked at me funny and said, "Is she always like that?"

"More or less," I replied. "She hasn't defended me like that before, though."

"Do you suppose she is like me? Not saying that that goddess of yours forced her to but maybe she chose it?"

"It's a possibility," I mused and thought that perhaps the emotion she displayed could be a part of her former self.

Shaking the thought off, I summarized that we were no longer needed in the place we were in. Taking the lead, we exited through the Skyview Spring and went the direction Fi had told us to go.

On our way, Ghirahim turned to me and asked, "Does this Link know you?"

I blushed tomato red and tried to hide it but failed as I answered, "He and I have been friends since childhood."

"I see right through you, Heroine. I know love when I see it. Don't look at me like that! I'm only stating what I see. Does he return your affection?"

"I wouldn't know, since a tornado took him away before I could tell him," I said to him with a snarky tone.

"My, such bad timing on my part!" he replied, clucking his teeth together in dismay.

I snorted in amusement at his mock exasperation and stepped onto the soil of the Eldin Province with Ghirahim one step behind. We both looked around and all was bare rock. Looking farther ahead, there seemed to be many Bokoblin outposts.

Ghirahim unsheathed his sword as I unsheathed mine and he gleefully cried, "Let the uphill battle begin!"


	7. Secret Unveiled

I found myself face to face with a horde of Bokoblin.

"You think your friend would have already cleaned up these gruesome things," complained Ghirahim as he slashed one Bokoblin after another.

"Well, at least you're getting your exercise!" I shouted to him above the grating sound of metal clashing with metal.

_I've had just about enough of this!_ I growled to myself and spun around, my blade extended. The Bokoblin all fell backwards and lay still.

"Sweet Hylia! That was worse than I ever thought imaginable!" exclaimed Ghirahim. "I never have been on the sharp bladed side of a Bokoblin before. Remind me to never use such creatures again."

"Noted," I said and looked about with my hand shading my eyes. Far above, I saw a green figure walking toward a temple entrance. "There he is!"

Ghirahim squinted as he looked up and replied, "I can get him before he goes inside."

"How?" I skeptically asked.

"Like this!" he said as he grabbed me and we disappeared, leaving dust in our wake.

I felt nauseated as we reappeared and came to a spinning halt right in front of Link. He made a startled sound and unsheathed his sword at the sight of Ghirahim. However, his face froze in shock as he saw me.

He couldn't utter any words and Ghirahim pushed me toward him, grinning like a sly cat. I refrained from rolling my eyes and smiled warmly at Link as I said, "I have come to aid you."

He looked uncertainly at me and on impulse, I drew him into an embrace and whispered, "It is good to see you, my friend."

His demeanor relaxed and I drew away from him. He inclined his gaze toward Ghirahim and with an elaborate bow, Ghirahim said, "Lord Ghirahim at your service! I do say, you're a lot shorter than I imagined but I think you'll do this Hero task splendidly as long as you don't go about lollygagging."

I sensed Link did not trust Ghirahim and neither did I. At least, I only trusted him to a certain point. I turned to Link once more and said, "We have much to discuss."

Our gaze did not leave each other as Ghirahim said, "Oh, it's one of _those_ moments. I will just go and find some more Bokoblin to slay. Call me when you're done with this talk."

As he stepped away, I heard him mutter to himself, "Love – the oddest and most perplexing emotion I've ever encountered and that's saying something."

Ghirahim gone, Link relaxed even more and asked me what I was going to say before he was swept away. My heart caught in my throat and I cleared it as I began, "As a child, you were my best friend and even now, you still are… I…" but I could not go on.

A strange silence engulfed us as Link looked curiously at me. Suddenly, he took my hand into his and I found myself looking at him with wide eyes. He told me that he knew I had affection for him since the moment I pushed him off the cliff with the sailcloth. I blushed tomato red as I remembered the thought I had had before pushing him off. That thought came to me now and I leaned into him, my face a hair's breadth away from his.

Before I could pursue my thought, he beat me to it. He gently took the back of my head in his hand and I closed my eyes as I felt his lips on mine. _Oh merciful Hylia!_ I thought with exhilaration as I tasted the sweetness of his lips for the first time. He deepened the kiss and a sigh of content escaped my mouth. He drew away with a grin on his face and I found myself grinning back.

I was dazed for a moment but then I remembered that I needed to tell him about Ghirahim. I explained to him what had happened and his eyes widened in concern. He agreed that helping Ghirahim was necessary but that we should be cautious, just in case anything went wrong.

I looked down at our entwined hands and back up at Link. He smiled at me and gently placed a stray hair behind my long ears. I blushed and with loud lungs yelled down the mountain, "Ghirahim!"

With a small poof, Ghirahim appeared by my side, looked at my hand that was holding Link's, and said with jest, "Either you two will fight together or fight each other down the road!"

I softly punched him in the upper arm and he laughed like a child. Despite myself, I smiled at his jest and Link looked at him with amusement.

I looked at both of them and thought to myself, _An odd trio we make, but we are bound together until fate decides for us to separate ways._


	8. The Intended Way is not the Best Way

I found myself alone. Helpless. _I can't breathe!_ I wanted to shout but no sound came from my mouth. A cackle of laughter made bats swoop down and claw at me. The laughter came nearer as I swatted the bats away. I felt like I was drowning, my lungs incapable of breathing. I was to die – alone. No one came; no one heard me as I took my last breath.

A loud boom like the ringing of canon fire burst through my mind. My eyes flew open and I found myself lying on the ground, safely next to Link. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to steady my trembling body.

"Finally! At least one of you sleepy heads is awake!" came Ghirahim's voice from farther down the way. Getting up, I found Ghirahim battling a group of Bokoblin who had acquired a canon. I rolled my eyes at his cockiness and woke Link who was ready for battle.

The night before, we had decided that entering the temple the conventional way was unnecessary. Ghirahim was the key to getting past large enemies. Even in his goodness, he was still in charge of them. However, the Bokoblin were another story. They seemed to disregard his authority. Perhaps it was because they were sworn enemies of practically everyone they encountered. Whatever the case, Ghirahim seemed to have too much fun battling them.

"Ghirahim! You know we don't even need to engage in battle with them!" I shouted over to him. With his ability to disappear and reappear, Ghirahim could easily get us to the next place we needed to be in the temple.

"And lose all this fun practice?" he amusedly said as he slashed a Bokoblin to death. He whirled around and ran like a blur to where Link and I were. "Fine. Here we go, the easy way!"

With dust the only thing in the place that we were standing moments before, I found myself inside the temple at the final dungeon.

"Watch this," grinned Ghirahim as the Scaldera confronted them. Without a word, Ghirahim stepped forward and gazed at Scaldera for a long length of time. The creature bowed and without even fighting, rolled out of the room.

With a look of triumph, Ghirahim turned to me and gestured toward the Earth Spring door as he said, "After you, your Highness."

Stepping forward, I opened the Earth Spring door and gaped in awe at what was before me. The place was filled with soft flowing water and beautiful statues. I hopped over to an emblem at far end of the room with Link one step behind. I took in the beautiful object and lifted my sword skyward. With a crack, my sword was filled with energy. I pointed it at the emblem and with a loud boom, the emblem came to life. Out of it came a part of a map that read "Lanayru Desert."

"Do we seriously have to go to another temple?" groaned Ghirahim. "It's like this goddess of yours wants you to do these painstaking things just to prove you are capable of defeating Demise. What utter nonsense!"

"Do you have any better ideas, Sassy Demon?" I retorted back.

He turned to Link and I with a gleam in his eye and said, "Well, if you are asking, I do."


	9. The Sorceress

'_A better idea' he said. Sure, one that could get us killed, _I thought with exasperation as I looked around the Sealed Temple. Of all the ideas in the world, Ghirahim's was the most insane. Not seeing the old woman or anyone else in the temple, I stepped toward the Gate of Time that was situated in the middle of the room.

Ghirahim had told Link and I that it would send anyone back in time and through it, the Triforce could be retrieved. I had not told Ghirahim that I had one part of the Triforce already in my safe keeping. Nor did I tell him that Link had the other. Not even Link knew he had it, but I could see that it had been kept safe in him since the day I had put it there. It was a piece of me, a piece of my heart and I had given him that. The Triforce was a heavy burden but he carried it with grace and strength without even knowing it.

_Now the third piece…_ I thought to myself and sadly sighed. It would take a large amount of effort to get. However, the need for it was greater than the risk and so with a flick of my hand upon my harp I played a tune that Ghirahim had taught me.

As the last notes faded, the column of the Gate of Time lit up and rearranged itself into a large gear. In the middle of the gear, blue light shone out. It made me nervous and I looked to where Link had appeared. He nodded to me and stepped to my side. Ghirahim also appeared and stood on my other side.

As I stepped forward and placed my hand into the Gate of Time, Ghirahim said, "Ah! How I relish going back in time! Let us meet it with victory this day!"

With his words ringing in my ears, the three of us stepped through the Gate of Time together. I stepped onto lush green grass and as I looked before me, I saw the largest castle I had ever laid eyes on.

Ghirahim whistled at the sight of the castle and said, "You know, I didn't believe she actually lived in a castle that large."

Link asked who he was talking about and I replied for Ghirahim, "The sorceress, Cia. She protects the Triforce and makes sure that its power stays balanced. I wouldn't be surprised if Demise had tried to take the Triforce of Power from her. We should hurry."

As we ran, we encountered the forces of Demise. I admitted to myself that without Ghirahim, Link and I would have consumed by the enemy. With Ghirahim's power alongside Link's and my own, we easily defeated the forces that were overflowing from the castle. As I slaughtered the last Bokoblin, I felt a large wave of air hit me from behind. I steadied myself on my feet and turned to see what had caused the airwave. A beautiful woman stood with her purple eyes gazing at Link. Her white hair adorned her face and her white clothing showed off her figure becomingly. A belt hung at her slim waist, which was latched with a purple jewel. In her hand she wielded a black and gold scepter, which had a headpiece of purple quartz.

"How may I be of service, Hero?" she said to Link, completely ignoring me and Ghirahim. Link did not answer but looked to me.

"We have come for the Triforce of Power, Sorceress Cia," I said formally in reply.

Unwillingly, Cia took her eyes off Link and looked at me. I felt jealousy arise in me and I fought it back down, knowing that Link's heart couldn't be taken from me. Cia looked at me critically for a moment, trying to gauge my thoughts. I must have revealed something because she smiled and said, "To get it, you must pass a test of strength."

"Against what, your Prettiness?" came Ghirahim's smooth voice.

Cia looked at him with amusement and laughed as she said, "Against me."

I unsheathed the skyward sword and readied myself as Cia held out her scepter and cracked it as a whip. She grinned and suddenly charged at me. I veered to the left and slashed at her, hitting her back side. She grunted and turned to face me. Her grin was gone and was replaced by a look of contempt. She lashed out her whip and it caught on my cheek. I winced as the skin tore away from my cheek and blood oozed out. I shook off the pain and concentrated on Cia's movements. She shifted her weight to her right foot, indicating that she would strike from the right. I feigned to the right and she fell for it. I brought myself quickly to the left and struck her squarely on the chest with the flat part of the blade. She keeled backwards and landed on her back in the dust. With one fluid movement, I walked over and held the tip of my sword to her bare throat.

"I yield," came Cia's voice and I took my sword away from her throat and sheathed it upon my back. I helped her up and she brushed herself off.

"You are far stronger and have a greater spirit than I had expected," she finally said and looked at me with newfound respect. She waved her scepter toward me and the wound on my cheek was completely healed. I bowed to her in thanks and she inclined her head in acknowledgement.

"Now, for your well-deserved prize," she said.

With a wave of her hand, a golden triangle appeared, hovering in her palm. She blew it to me and I grabbed it as it flew in the air. It shone bright for a moment in the palm of my hand and then took its place next to the Triforce of Wisdom upon the back of my hand.

Cia looked at Link once more and reached out as if to take his arm. She stopped herself and turned away. She walked a couple steps, stopped, and said without turning, "I will be seeing you again. In this life or another."

She walked on again and disappeared, leaving behind purple tipped feathers that floated to the ground. I looked at Ghirahim and he had the most trance-like look on his face as he looked upon the spot where Cia had been. He walked over and took a feather in hand. He took a whiff of the feather and smiled.

_If a relationship blossomed between them, it would be the most interesting thing I have ever encountered,_ I thought, hiding my amusement.

"Back to the present time, my friends," I said and walked toward the Gate of Time.

"What about the other parts of the Triforce, Heroine? Won't they be found here?" asked Ghirahim.

"They are already where we need them to be," I replied, took Link's hand in my own, and walked through the Gate of Time.

As my eyes laid upon the Sealed Temple once again, I uttered to myself, _And so, the real battle begins._


	10. Battle Wounds

Ghirahim approached the seal that held The Imprisoned cautiously. I put my hand on the hilt of my sword, not sure if he would betray Link and I at this last moment. Before we had went down to the sealed creature, Ghirahim had told us how we could sever him from the sword.

"I was put in the sword as its spirit. Without me, Demise's sword is just a regular sword. To become my own person again, you will have to use the Triforce and the Skyward Sword to shatter the sword. You must hurt Demise enough for him to drop his sword. Pick up the sword and shatter it through the power of the Triforce with the Skyward Sword…" Ghirahim trailed off and looked me squarely in the eyes. "I will have to become one with Demise's sword and I will have to turn on you."

He had taken my hand into his, squeezed it, and kissed my cheek as he had whispered, "I am sorry, Heroine."

He had drawn away, looked at Link, and had said in a serious tone, "Protect her, Hero, at all costs."

Link had nodded in acknowledgement and told Ghirahim he would do as he said. I had looked sadly at the ground on our way down to the place Demise was kept but now I looked at Ghirahim with apprehension as he unsealed The Imprisoned from its prison underground.

The ground rumbled and shook so hard that I thought I would fall over. I steadied myself and unsheathed my sword. I held it skyward and as it shone bright, the three pieces of the Triforce came together and melded into the blade of the Skyward Sword. Empowered by the Triforce, the sword would be able to defeat Demise and shatter his sword.

Black vapor engulfed where Ghirahim and the seal had been. The vapor washed away and a large male figure stood in its place. I felt terror in my bones at the sight of his flaming orange eyes and hair. I felt miniscule next to his muscular frame. I breathed slowly in and out as I tried to concentrate at the task I needed to complete. Link put his hand on my shoulder for a moment to steady me. I nodded my thanks and told myself that I could do anything if Link was by my side.

The male figure brandished his black large sword and with a voice like thunder snarled, "Do not get in my way, _children_. I am Demise, the Demon King and no one shall defeat me!"

"We'll see about that," I grimly replied and readied myself to attack. I looked over at Link who nodded that he was ready.

With swift movements, we both attacked Demise. He blocked easily and Link and I were thrown back a few feet. Demise walked back to the middle of the field, not bothering to look if we had landed on our feet or not. I had landed on my feet and said to Link, "Distract him while I get behind him. His armor has a weak spot on his back."

Link acknowledged me and with a loud war cry, he attacked Demise's front. I saw pain cross Link's face as I scurried to his back side. Without a moment to lose, I hacked at his weak spot. Demise roared with pain and swung around to hit me. I had jumped backwards just in time, but the sword had grazed my right upper arm. I winced as pain flooded my body. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to ignore the searing pain.

_One more time ought to do it,_ I thought as I saw his back oozing black blood. With a shove of my feet, I started to run. Link saw my movements and he engaged Demise again, even with the large wound I spotted on his leg. With a roar, I hacked once more at his weak spot. Demise crippled over and his sword clattered to the ground. Without waiting for Demise to regain composure, I grabbed his heavy sword into my left hand and ran out of his grasp. I took the Skyward Sword and pointed it upward to charge. When it had charged, I sliced downward at Demise's sword. A large cracking noise resounded but the sword did not break.

"Again!" I shouted to myself and held my sword skyward once more. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Demise rise and take a few steps toward me. My heart pounded in my ears. If I could not break the sword with this second strike, I feared Link and I would die. My sword had charged and I swung downwards again. A larger cracking noise resounded and just as Demise reached me, his sword broke in two.

Demise roared in fury and was thrown backwards by an explosion from his sword. A bright white light rose from in the sword. It grew so bright that I had to shade my eyes. Suddenly, the light was gone and in its place stood Ghirahim. His eyes were no longer black but blue like the ocean and in his hand he bore a saber.

"Allow me," Ghirahim said to me with a smile. My heart rejoiced at his return and I obliged him to do as he willed.

"You traitor!" snarled Demise as he saw Ghirahim approach him. Demise took out a sword from what seemed like thin air.

"It was you who forced me to be your slave. I see no problem in being a traitor against you, Fiend. Now, let's finish this!" roared Ghirahim and charged Demise calmly.

Ghirahim struck Demise's sword again and again, harder each time. Demise could only defend himself from his blows. With one last strike of metal against metal, Demise fell to the ground along with his sword. Ghirahim pointed his saber at Demise's throat.

"They say no one can kill a Demon King, but I don't think they thought a former demon would try," Ghirahim smoothly said with a smirk.

"You fool! I cannot die! I will be reborn and live on in ages to come. No one will stop me then," growled Demise.

Ghirahim ignored him and turned to where I was standing. He said, "If you would do the honors."

I approached Demise and unsheathed my sword. Standing before Demise, Ghirahim took his sword off his throat as I put mine there.

"Maybe you will be reborn, fiend, but if you do, the heroine and hero of those times will rise against you and there will be no hiding from them in this age or another!" I said and ran the Skyward Sword through his throat.

He gurgled once and shattered into a hundred pieces. I raised my sword upwards and it absorbed his fragments, not leaving even one shard behind.

I turned to Link and Ghirahim and said with triumph, "Thus passes the Demon King Demise and his servants in this age."


	11. New Beginnings

I stared at the Skyward Sword on its mantle in the Sealed Temple. I had placed it there with care and now said silent goodbyes to it as if it was a dear friend of mine. I took up a spare sword and sheathed it upon my back. With one last look, I exited the temple with the door closing behind me.

Link and Ghirahim waited for me in Faron Woods. I joined them and we looked out before us. Calm had been restored and the Kikwi creatures went about unafraid. I heard a Loftwing call that was familiar to my ears and my heart rejoiced as I saw Thré flying in the sky toward me. She landed in front of me and honked, _I am joyful to see you, my friend. I have scouted the land and know every nook and cranny of it. But I have missed being by your side._

"So have I, my dear friend," I replied with a smile.

I turned to Ghirahim and Link as I said, "I have longed to come to The Surface since as long as I can remember. I wish to –" but I was interrupted by the loud honking of several other Loftwings.

In front of us landed several Loftwings and the first person to hop off one of them was Groose. He charged toward me and then stopped a couple feet away as he saw my attire. He paled and I saw the encounter he had with me flash behind his eyes.

"You – you tricked me! And I thought you loved me!" Groose screeched.

As I tried not to roll my eyes, Ghirahim stepped forward and said, "Open your eyes, dimwit. If she had loved you, the world we know would have been long gone by now."

I blushed and took Link's hand in my own. Groose saw my action, slumped his shoulders, and started to walk to his Loftwing.

"Wait, Groose," I called. He stopped but didn't turn around as I continued, "I will not be returning to Skyloft. Please tell my father that I have decided to take care of The Surface and its creatures. And Groose?"

He turned to me then and waited for what I had to say, "Don't go crashing into anything or you might miss out a chance with someone who will love you in return."

Groose broadly smiled and did something that I thought he would never do – he bowed to Link. Link bowed back and we watched Groose and his friends fly into the sky and disappear above the clouds.

I turned to Link and Ghirahim once more as I said, "As I was going to ask, what are you two going to do now that Demise is gone?"

Ghirahim twirled a piece of grass in his hands and looked at Link. Link looked back and I wondered what passed through their minds as they looked at each other. Ghirahim finally said, "I have decided that I cannot return to my people. They will only fear me for who I once was. Therefore, I will reside with the old woman and keep watch over this land. It sounds befitting to me."

Link looked at me and squeezed my hand. He said that he would stay with me because I was his other half. I blushed and kissed him softly on the mouth. He returned my kiss and drew a part to look into my eyes.

I turned from looking at Link to looking out once more upon the horizon. Link, Ghirahim, and Thré also looked toward the horizon. I felt a warm summer breeze roll past me as the sounds of life filled the air around me. I smiled to myself and thought, _here is a new beginning, a new life_.


End file.
